{"id":48931,"date":"2025-02-18T15:28:35","date_gmt":"2025-02-18T15:28:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/stock-market-today-major-indexes-push-higher-amid-earnings-and-economic-data\/48931\/"},"modified":"2025-02-18T15:28:35","modified_gmt":"2025-02-18T15:28:35","slug":"stock-market-today-major-indexes-push-higher-amid-earnings-and-economic-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/stock-market-today-major-indexes-push-higher-amid-earnings-and-economic-data\/48931\/","title":{"rendered":"Stock Market Today: Major Indexes Push Higher Amid Earnings and Economic Data"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As the stock market opens on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, investors are witnessing a positive start to the holiday-shortened trading week. The major indexes are pushing higher, with futures indicating gains across the board.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/stock-market-today-major-indexes-push-higher-amid-earnings-and-economic-data\/48931\/#Market_Performance\" >Market Performance<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/stock-market-today-major-indexes-push-higher-amid-earnings-and-economic-data\/48931\/#Key_Stocks_to_Watch\" >Key Stocks to Watch<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/stock-market-today-major-indexes-push-higher-amid-earnings-and-economic-data\/48931\/#Upcoming_Market_Events\" >Upcoming Market Events<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/stock-market-today-major-indexes-push-higher-amid-earnings-and-economic-data\/48931\/#Economic_Data_and_Market_Trends\" >Economic Data and Market Trends<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/stock-market-today-major-indexes-push-higher-amid-earnings-and-economic-data\/48931\/#Market_Outlook\" >Market Outlook<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/stock-market-today-major-indexes-push-higher-amid-earnings-and-economic-data\/48931\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Market_Performance\"><\/span>Market Performance<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/indices\/sp500\/today\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"snp500 today\">S&#038;P 500<\/a> futures are up 0.4%, pointing to a potential new record high for the index.<cscitation citation_id=\"task_2__2\"><\/cscitation> This comes after a mixed performance on Friday, where the Nasdaq rose while the Dow and S&#038;P 500 fell. As of the latest data:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; <b>S&#038;P 500<\/b>: 6,112.38, down 0.04%<br \/>&#8211; <b><a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/indices\/dowjones\/today\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Dow Jones Today\">Dow Jones<\/a> Industrial Average<\/b>: 44,392.20, down 0.35%<br \/>&#8211; <b>Nasdaq Composite<\/b>: 20,022.56, down 0.02%<cscitation citation_id=\"task_1__1\"><\/cscitation><\/p>\n<p>The positive momentum in futures suggests that investors are shaking off concerns from the previous week and looking forward to upcoming earnings reports and economic data.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Key_Stocks_to_Watch\"><\/span>Key Stocks to Watch<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Several stocks are making significant moves in <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/movers\/premarket\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Premarket Movers\">pre-market trading<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p>1. <b>NVIDIA Corporation (<a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/?stock=NVDA\">NVDA<\/a>)<\/b>: Up 1.63% to $141.12<br \/>2. <b>Intel Corporation (<a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/?stock=INTC\">INTC<\/a>)<\/b>: Up 7.92% to $25.47<br \/>3. <b>Super Micro Computer, Inc. (<a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/?stock=SMCI\">SMCI<\/a>)<\/b>: Up 12.19% to $53.75<br \/>4. <b>Palantir Technologies Inc. (<a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/?stock=PLTR\">PLTR<\/a>)<\/b>: Up 2.75% to $122.44<cscitation citation_id=\"task_1__1\"><\/cscitation><\/p>\n<p>These technology stocks, particularly in the semiconductor and AI sectors, continue to show strength and are likely to influence overall market sentiment.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Upcoming_Market_Events\"><\/span>Upcoming Market Events<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Investors are keeping a close eye on several key events this week:<\/p>\n<p>1. <b>Federal Reserve Minutes<\/b>: The release of the Fed minutes on Wednesday will provide insights into the central bank&#8217;s thinking on interest rates and monetary policy.<cscitation citation_id=\"task_2__3\"><\/cscitation><\/p>\n<p>2. <b>Housing Data<\/b>: New housing data is expected to be released, which could impact real estate and related sectors.<cscitation citation_id=\"task_2__3\"><\/cscitation><\/p>\n<p>3. <b>Walmart Earnings<\/b>: <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/exchanges\/nyse\/today\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"NYSE Today\">NYSE<\/a>-listed Walmart is set to release its earnings report on Thursday, which could provide valuable insights into consumer spending trends.<cscitation citation_id=\"task_2__3\"><\/cscitation><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Economic_Data_and_Market_Trends\"><\/span>Economic Data and Market Trends<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Recent economic data has shown mixed signals:<\/p>\n<p>1. <b>Retail Sales<\/b>: January retail sales fell 0.9%, more than the expected 0.3% decline. This marks the largest drop since March 2023, attributed to severe weather, wildfires, and auto shortages.<cscitation citation_id=\"task_1__1\"><\/cscitation><\/p>\n<p>2. <b>Core Retail Sales<\/b>: Excluding auto, core retail sales decreased by 0.4% in January, missing the consensus estimate of a 0.3% increase.<cscitation citation_id=\"task_1__1\"><\/cscitation><\/p>\n<p>3. <b>Year-over-Year Growth<\/b>: Despite the monthly decline, retail sales were up 4.2% year-over-year, supported by a strong labor market.<cscitation citation_id=\"task_1__1\"><\/cscitation><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Market_Outlook\"><\/span>Market Outlook<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The market&#8217;s resilience in the face of mixed economic data suggests that investors are focusing on potential future improvements. The Federal Reserve is expected to hold rates steady, and market participants anticipate a rebound in sales in the coming months.<cscitation citation_id=\"task_1__1\"><\/cscitation><\/p>\n<p><b>Shift in Market Focus<\/b>: Analysts at Neuberger Berman note that the market has moved on from obsessing about inflation to focusing more on growth expectations. This shift is evident in the performance of value stocks, industrials, financials, and European equities since the start of the year.<cscitation citation_id=\"task_1__2\"><\/cscitation><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>As the market opens on February 18, 2025, investors are navigating a complex landscape of economic data, corporate earnings, and policy expectations. The positive start to the week, driven by technology stocks and optimism about future growth, sets the stage for an interesting trading period ahead. With key events like the Fed minutes and Walmart&#8217;s earnings report on the horizon, market participants will be closely monitoring how these factors influence the broader economic narrative and stock market performance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the stock market opens on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, investors are witnessing a positive start to the holiday-shortened trading 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